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Clara founded Juniper to bring expert grant strategy to changemakers committed to ecological reciprocity.
With over a decade of experience in grant strategy, data quality, and strategic writing across nature-based education, international humanitarian aid, and advocacy organizations, she specializes in helping organizations build sustainable funding approaches. Clara loves helping organizations navigate complex positioning challenges and articulate their unique value in the funding landscape.
Her commitment to ecological reciprocity was shaped by yearly trips to Allegany State Park with her dad as a child. Those contemplative days in the woods- usually in the fall or winter when the park would quiet down and the changing seasons made space for reflection- instilled a deep understanding of what it means to be in relationship with the natural world. That foundation continues to inform her approach to supporting environmental organizations today.
Based in Buffalo, NY, Clara leads client relationships, manages project direction, and ensures each funding strategy is both strategically sound and realistic to implement. When she's not working with clients, Clara enjoys reading fiction, playing guitar, and enjoying time outside with family and friends around a bonfire.
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While Juniper works primarily with with organizations focused on environmental and ecological initiatives, we occasionally take on projects outside our niche that align with our values of social justice and community resilience. Eliza supports these partnerships, bringing her expertise to organizations working at the intersection of migration, gender equity, and humanitarian development.
Eliza has worked in the humanitarian and development sectors across West Asia and the United States, at the local and international level. She brings strong skills in program management, organizational leadership, and proposal development.
Originally from California, Eliza received her BA in International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies. She moved abroad after graduation, working with grassroots refugee education initiatives in Greece and Lebanon, before traveling to Jordan to manage a women's craft collective. She later served as Deputy Country Representative for Vision Hope International. She secured over $1M in institutional funding while overseeing the organization's programmatic and administrative operations in Jordan.
Eliza returned to the US to earn her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Washington, focusing on community-centered practice and sustainable organizational development. She helps organizations articulate their unique value, translating programs into authentic narratives that resonate with funders.
Eliza is currently based in Sinai, Egypt. When she isn't working at a beachside café, she can be found snorkeling in the Red Sea, bargaining in Arabic, or exploring the desert with her dog.
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Maria found her calling early, working in aquariums, nature centers, and local parks before joining the National Park Service through the Student Career Experience Program while earning her degree in Environmental Studies. Over 19 years with Biscayne National Park, she served as Park Guide, Interpretive Ranger, and eventually Education Program Coordinator-where she secured over $1 million in grant funding to expand the park's youth programs from 600 to 10,000 students per year.
Her personal connection to the outdoors began as a child, camping with her single mother in the Florida Keys. Those simple trips-filled with fishing, firelight, crickets, and starry skies-instilled a love of nature that later grew through Girl Scouts, paddling, and backpacking adventures. As an educator, Maria delighted in leading overnight expeditions for hundreds of students in Biscayne's remote islands. Today, she carries forward that same spirit by supporting organizations nationwide as they cultivate the next generation of earth-keepers, excelling at extracting authentic stories and aligning organizational strengths with funder priorities. When she's not crafting compelling narratives, Maria can be found adventuring with her family through Florida in their campervan or playing in the surf in Miami Beach.
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Lilly brings a unique blend of technical expertise and grassroots wisdom to Juniper's grant development work. With a BS in Environmental Sciences from the University of Vermont and experience spanning utility-scale solar operations, policy advocacy, and community organizing, she understands the vital connection between healthy ecosystems and resilient communities.
As former Clean Energy Director at Massachusetts Climate Action Network, Lilly led coalition-building efforts and developed educational materials that made complex energy policy accessible to advocates. Her hands-on experience managing solar installations and her organizing work with the climate justice movement taught her how to translate technical knowledge into compelling narratives for change.
Drawing inspiration from the rapidly changing coastal waters that shaped her environmental passion, Lilly is also a professional facilitator, specializing in organizational resilience and breakthrough facilitation. She guides climate champions and social justice organizations through strategic stuck points, processing overwhelm, and building the emotional capacity needed for sustained impact. When she's not working with changemakers, you can find her Nordic skiing or taking a slow hike in New England.
Robbyn Drake
STRATEGIC ADVISOR
Robbyn brings 25+ years of environmental project management, grantwriting and organizational capacity building expertise to Juniper's strategic planning work. As president and general manager at Ecos Cooperative, she has helped organizations of all sizes secure and administer millions of dollars in federal, state, and private funds—from US Forest Service and US Fish & Wildlife Service grants to foundation funding and state programs. Her personal mission is to build environmental sustainability into the physical, social, and educational structure of our society by providing diverse opportunities for people to connect with nature. Robbyn's expertise spans grant strategy, program management, community engagement, and educational program development across land conservation, habitat restoration, green infrastructure, and watershed protection.
Robbyn leads strategic planning sessions for our clients to ensure organizational capacity, outcomes tracking, and program structure set clients up for long-term funding success. Robbyn is also passionate about green infrastructure as a water quality and workforce development movement and is certified to instruct the 35-hour National Green Infrastructure Certification Program. When she's not securing million-dollar grants and building organizational capacity, you'll find Robbyn canoeing the Niagara River or camping with her family.
